We Are
by iminyourimagination
Summary: Imagine they had one more day on the train before District 11. Katniss is fed up, and Peeta still wants to be her friend, so he visits her. Short-ish fic, friendship based, canon.


'Katniss?'

I hear his voice from the outside of my bedroom door. I've stormed off, having had enough of Haymitch barking at me for not being a nice, elegant, sweet teenage girl so that the Capitol won't want me any more dead and Effie squawking about how we've "deserved" to be on this damned train again. Peeta tried to get to know me yesterday. It sort of worked. His favourite color is sunset orange. His eyes light up when he talks about colors. He has a little crease near his mouth which catches the light when he smiles, too. He makes me appreciate things aesthetically. I want to tell him I'm fine and that I'm just tired but he won't believe me.

'Don't come in, or you'll hate me more.' I croak as I lie with my head in my pillows, my legs splayed awkwardly across my double bed.

'Katniss, I could never hate you.' He says with an air of desperation. I know he wants to come in and make me feel like I'm worth his time, but I won't ever believe it. I know we're supposed to be the star crossed lovers, but never in a million years would I deserve him.

'Ugh, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you.' I grunt and roll onto my side.

'You know I'd come in anyway, don't you?'

'Mmmhmm.' I grumble at him through my hair. I watch him walk in and stand at the foot of my bed with a smirk on his face. I scowl. 'Come to tease me?'

'Definitely not.' He shakes his head. 'Can I sit?' he gestures at my legs. I don't move them. They're still in a nice mid-sprint position. 'Be my guest.' I raise an eyebrow. He doesn't hesitate to pick up my legs and move them so that I'm lying like a plank on my side. He lies opposite me and laughs. I feel so comfortable with him there, smiling at me. We're like children.

'Pass me a pillow, then.'

'No!'

'Your hair's a mess.'

'Your's isn't much better.' I feel a small smile pass over my lips.

'Ouch!' he grabs a pillow from underneath my shoulder and hits me with it.

'Ugh!' I smile fully now. I feel so happy, it's strange. I haven't felt like this in such a long time. I kick him playfully and then we both stop, grinning endlessly. We look at each other. 'Don't worry about tomorrow, Katniss. It'll be over soon. This victory tour only lasts long as it needs to. We'll be back in twelve before you know it.'

'Yes, but we have to perform right. They think we're fighting back, when we're only trying to save ourselves. What if we never get back to twelve-'

'Don't think like that.' He blinks and his smile falls. He gives me a look of such strength that I want to hold on to him for the next fortnight at least. 'As soon as we get home, we can be ourselves. You can go back to Gale and I'll-'

'Peeta, please-'

'-I'll go back to making ridiculous looking cakes for a living.' He looks so sad. I can feel tears brewing, but I stare at his hair so hard that they retreat.

'Peeta, you're one of the people I refuse to live without now, do you understand?'

'No.' he looks back up at me from staring past my shoulder. I pause before saying anything.

'What?'

'I don't understand why you can't live without me.' He says simply, 'Because you have Gale, and Prim, and your mom. I have my family, yeah, but I don't…'

'You… you don't what?'

'Never mind.' He pushes his thought away. I wince. What have I done now? I don't pry. Instead, I take his hand, the first time I have done it without a camera near us or a sponsorship needed, and make him look at me. 'Peeta, you are not going to fall out of my life again, I promise you. They'll probably have us married by twenty anyway-' I laugh, but then stop. He looks so hurt. 'No, no, I didn't mean that would be the only reason for us to-' he sits up. So do I, and before he tries to leave, I point his head back to face me.

'Peeta, I didn't mean it like that. I promise.' He looks past me. I don't know what at. I turn round and look out the window. Through it, I see the sun setting. I smile. 'Your favourite color.' I whisper. He looks at me and mutters 'Yeah…' and then snaps out of it. 'We'll be okay.' He says, louder than before. I nod and he hugs me tightly. I hold onto him like I'm about to fall off a cliff and we sit, talking until Effie finds him and tells him to sleep. When he's about to leave, my hand lingers on his. We both understand that we no longer _have_ to be friends, because we _are._


End file.
